One of my TAs has a very negative opinion of some of the children as she moved up from the nursery with them and they would not behave for her. rolling around on the floor at carpet time was normal when with her. They have been lovely for me and very well behaved!

Colleagues in nearby rooms (so we could see each other's reactions) would send notes to each other talking about the kid delivering the note. So you'd open up the (sealed) note and it would say "looks like a frog, right?" and then you'd politely thank the student while trying not to snort with laughter at his goggly eyes

We did have one or two particularly "challenging" kids at one time (the sort you'd love but the utter tornado of helpfulness, coupled with their behavioural difficulties, would be hard work at the best of times) where staff on occasions would send them off to go to all the classes with a note saying "Needs to cool off before getting into bother - can you pretend to read this and send them on to the next class saying that you've got that message thanks"... about the only "behind the back" note strategy I've ever seen used - and yes I had one in my own class who got sent running "messages" a few times when I could see he was bubbling for a kick-off.

Other minor confession - I nicked the name of a particularly delightful little girl I met doing supply for my own daughter!

You made me laugh, heymicky! When my partner and I worked in the same school we would send each other ridiculous notes with kids and once he rushed into my class, gave me a kiss and ran out again. Kids were shocked...they never realised we were married.

Previous colleagues of mine were known to send PITA children to each other to ask for daft things like a tin of tartan paint, just to distract the child from some tension in the classroom which was causing their poor behaviour!

The walk across the school calmed them down, and gave the rest of the class a break!

I LOVE my current class and am thinking of ways of ensuring they never leave ( yr6) . Can I lose their secondary school applications- what do you reckon!! Looking at the current Yr5 , I am sorely tempted.

I am a TA in a PRU and secretly I worry about my students when I'm not at work. It's been raining all evening and I've been worrying about a couple of students who are likely to be outside. There are a few I would like provide a hot meal, a bath and clean clothes for.